Those who know me, or have read anything I’ve written, know that I believe in giving one’s best efforts to everything one does. This commitment should extend to the effort to become, or remain, physically fit. This is where ideals smack heads with reality for many people. Becoming fit, or maintaining optimal fitness, requires intense physical activity, for much more than just a few minutes, every day of the week. I’ve built a life that allows me one to two hours per day in the gym, most days. Not everyone has done so. So the question is, with severely limited workout time, how to make the most of that time? Some suggestions follow.
High Intensity Interval Training – or HIIT, is one way to get a very, very good workout in a small amount of time. It consists, at the most basic level, of several cycles, each one a period of intense cardio followed by a period of somewhat less intensive cardio. When I need a quick, intense workout, I’ll do five cycles – 200 paces at a sprint, followed by 100 paces of jogging. The whole process is 20 minutes, door-to-door, and the workout is enough to push my (middle-aged, still in progress) body to its limits. For those more advanced in fitness, step it up to whatever exhausts you. For beginners or the overweight, jog 100 paces followed by walking 100 paces, to start. Studies have shown HIIT to be better for fat loss and cardiovascular conditioning than straight running, treadmills, or any other commonly used form of cardio. As little as 20 minutes per day can deliver measurable results.
When it comes to fat loss, eating properly in the right amounts is by far the most important factor. After that, resistance training (weight lifting) is king. There are a few lifts, I call The Big Three, which provide, again,measurable results in less time expended.
Bench Press – the bench press has to be one of the best all-around lifts for results you can see, and fast. It is mechanically simple to perform, and works all of the large muscles of your upper body to one extent or another. Strength develops first, the chest forms up, and if you are lifting enough, with short enough rest periods between sets, you will get your heart rate up. For someone, like me, who smoked cigarettes for twenty-five years before getting serious about health and quitting (and therefore, like it or not, suffers from some level of COPD), the bench press opens up the chest and rib cage, giving the lungs room to expand and helping alleviate breathing difficulties. I do five sets of ten, with enough weight that I can’t push an eleventh, with as little rest as I can manage between sets. Benefits: significant. Time Elapsed: 10-15 minutes.
Dead Lifts – dead lifts, are, basically, picking a heavy object up off the ground, putting it back down, and repeating several times. Squat down with your back straight, pick up the barbell, stand up, then put it back down. This simple exercise tests all of the body’s large muscles, and is easy to learn. While I think the dead lift is focused on the big muscles in your legs and ass, I also feel it in my arms and shoulders, and the tightening of the abs and back muscles required to keep the back straight stimulates the muscles there as well. Again, five sets of 10, each heavy enough to push you to failure, with minimal rest. Around 10-15 minutes to work a lot of muscle.
Squats – to me, similar to dead lifts, but even better. If I only had time in a day to do one lift, I’d do squats. When I do them, I “feel the burn” in my calves, thighs, glutes, arms, chest and shoulders. the same tightening of the abs and back is required, so you work the gut at the same time. While you do need to be in a gym for this, as it requires some particular equipment to perform; for most people, a specialized rack or a machine; it is well worth the hike to the place. Grip the bar and place atop shoulders, squat down as far as you can with a straight back, and stand up. Sets and weight as described above for the other lifts, and you have almost a total body workout. 10-15 minutes investment.
Lack of time should not be an excuse for failure to care for your body. Considering the benefits of being fit, we don’t have time not to.